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To the right Worshipful The Mayor, Aldermen, Sheriffs, and Common Council of the City of CorkAn electronic editionJonathan SwiftElectronic edition compiled byBenjamin HazardUniversity College, CorkThe Higher Education Authority via the CELT Project.Second draft.1670CELT: Corpus of Electronic Texts: a project of University College Cork.College Road, Cork, Ireland—http://www.ucc.ie/celt20042008CELT online at University College, Cork, Ireland.E700001-004

Available with prior consent of the CELT programme for purposes of academic research and teaching only.

I received from you, some weeks ago, the honour of my freedom, in a silver box, by the hands of Mr. Stannard; but it was not delivered to me in as many weeks more; because, I suppose, he was too full of more important business. Since that time, I have been wholly confined by sickness, so that I was not able to return you my acknowledgment; and it is with much difficulty I do it now, my head continuing in great disorder. Mr. Faulkner will be the bearer of my letter, who sets out this morning for Cork.

I could have wished, as I am a private man, that, in the instrument of my freedom, you had pleased to assign your reasons for making choice of me. I know it is a usual compliment to bestow the freedom of the city on an archbishop, or lord-chancellor, and other persons of great titles, merely on account of their stations or power: but a private man, and a perfect stranger, without power or grandeur, may justly expect to find the motives assigned in the instrument of his freedom, on what account he is thus distinguished. And yet I cannot discover, in the whole parchment scrip, any one reason offered. Next, as to the silver box, there is not so much as my name upon it, nor anyone syllable to show it was a present from your city. Therefore I have, by the advice of friends, agreeable with my opinion, sent back the box and instrument of freedom by Mr. Faulkner, to be returned to you; leaving to your choice whether to insert the
reasons for which you were pleased to give me my freedom, or bestow the box upon some more worthy person whom you may have an intention to honour, because it will equally fit
everybody.